Empowering. Inspiring. Winning.

suanne-skate

Inspiration and empowerment can come from anywhere, it’s what we do with the things we find that makes our experiences in life unique and meaningful. Around the age of 16 I came across a piece of writing, called The Creed for Winners, that was immediately inspirational to me as a competitive athlete; it became my aspiration to use this set of “rules” as a guide to live my life. This is where I set my own “winning bar” and I go back from time to time to review the rules and adjust my course in life if needed.

The Creed for Winners

  1. I will prepare diligently, study purposefully and work productively.
  2. I will strive to be a booster, not a complainer, and a builder, not a fault finder.
  3. I will give others the benefit of the doubt and seek to discover the goodness in every person I meet.
  4. I will accept my setbacks as challenges and will view my failures as an opportunity to learn.
  5. I will give the world the warmth of my smile, the joy of my encouragement and the blessing of my love.

It was once my dream was to become a professional figure skater, most of my time between the ages of 11 and 20 were devoted to honing the skills of skating and dancing, I was a fierce competitor and a passionate artist. Skating is one of the most inspiring and empowering experiences of my life, doing something you’re naturally good at can give you wings. Eventually, I became a skating coach – looking back I see that I was too young, too immature, for a career as an independent contractor. Still, I’m very proud of the accomplishment of achieving my goal of becoming a professional; The memories created teaching and empowering others are cherished ones.

Those words inspired my life in such a way that I always look for the learning in “failures”, they’ve empowered me to speak out in praise or share a kind word or smile, and to use empathy to understand the motivations of others. Being human, I don’t always practice those rules perfectly, but I try; I’m proud that I’ve succeeded in keeping them foremost in my heart and mind for nearly 40 years. I always hope that when I fail I can recognize the acts that have fallen short, and strive to remember how I’d like to act the next time.

I hope that you will also find these words inspiring.

About

Digital creator. Kind of a Sweetheart. Dog mom. Crafter. Sims 4 player. Web Content Unicorn. She/Her.

Suanne Brady